Development Core

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ABSTRACT The goal of the Developmental Core is to enhance the research training, leadership capacity and professional networking for junior Kenyan and Ugandan health care professionals who are interested in addressing research questions regarding HIV-associated malignancies. This U54 renewal application continues to focus on strengthening research capacity related to human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer in HIV-infected women of East Africa. In Kenya, coordination will be through the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) partnership which consists of a collaborative network of North American academic medical schools, Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. In Uganda, coordination will be with the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) Collaboration and Makerere University that has fostered collaborative research mentoring through participation in the Afya Bora Consortium; an interprofessional program fostering global health leadership. This Core brings together our collective expertise to rapidly advance research capacity focused on HIV-associated malignancies and to help develop the next generation of Kenyan and Ugandan research leaders through the following Specific Aims: Specific Aim 1: To leverage the current and future U54 Project cohort data to enhance the translational and population-based HIV/AIDS and HIV-Associated Malignancy peer-reviewed research in East Africa. Through a competitive application process, we will award 4-6 pilot projects each year. Each mentee will be matched to a primary scientific mentor, assigned a designated site mentor, and supervised by a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) consisting of team members with relevant professional and technical expertise. Mentoring will include research methodologies, implementation, grant writing skills, budgeting and financial management. Mentees are expected to submit first-author publications and an external grant application. Specific Aim 2: To establish a mentorship and leadership development program to promote research in HIV-associated malignancies for Kenyan and Ugandan healthcare professionals. There are unique skills developed by researchers when their study populations are HIV-infected and/or have cancer, which are chronic diseases often associated with poor prognoses and long-term care. Training modules and professional development tools from the Afya Bora Consortium will be modified to address these challenges. Systematic evaluations will inform the development of sustainable mentorship and leadership development programs. Specific Aim 3: To develop sustainable professional networking and collaborative research mechanisms that unite Kenyan and Ugandan healthcare professionals and trainees. Monthly seminars will strengthen this newly established collaboration and showcase inter-related and complementary research projects. Junior trainees will have an opportunity to apply for Travel Awards so they may present at scientific conferences, thereby expanding their professional network and gaining recognition in their field.